Latch assemblies are used, for example, on screen doors to secure the screen door to a frame and close an opening defined by the frame. The screen door has a screen door frame and a screen attached to the frame that allows the passage of air but not larger objects such as insects, etc. Optionally the screen door may have an opening closed by a sliding panel. The screen door may cooperate with a main closure door to provide the option of either shutting the main door or shutting only the screen door while leaving the main door open. The latch assembly secures the screen door to the frame while the main closure door remains open.
One example of a latch assembly for a screen door of a recreational vehicle is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,767,139 to Hansing. Hansing shows a latch bolt having an operator portion, typically operated by a single finger. Pulling on the operator portion in a direction parallel to the plane of the screen door slides the latch bolt from a latching position where it engages a latch keeper and secures the screen door to the frame of the recreation vehicle to an unlatching position where the screen door is free to pivot. Hansing also discloses a retainer mounted on the main closure door having a pair of latch bolt engaging portions. The latch bolt engaging portions engage the latch bolt to secure the screen door to the main door so that the doors travel together. Other mechanisms for retaining a screen door together with a main closure door are known, such as magnets and velcro strips.
Known latch assemblies used for recreational vehicles have several problems. Typically the latch assembly is mounted on an inside surface of the screen door. Thus an access port or opening (typically closable by a sliding panel) must be provided to access the latch assembly from the outside, and an operator must awkwardly reach around the opening to operate the latch assembly. Further, multiple steps are required to open the door from the inside. First, an operator must pull the latch bolt in a direction generally parallel to the plane of the screen door. Second, the operator has to push or pull on the screen door in a direction generally perpendicular to the screen door to open the screen door. It would be desirable to be able to access the latch assembly from either the inside or the outside of the screen door without having to operate a sliding panel. It would also be desirable for an operator to use one motion to disengage the latch assembly from the frame of the motor vehicle and pivot the screen door open.
In view of the foregoing, it is an object of the present invention to provide a latch assembly of simple construction for a screen door pivotable from a closed position to an open position which is accessible from both sides of the screen door without necessarily reaching through an opening or moving a sliding panel. It is an additional object of the present invention to provide a latch assembly that is engagable such that the directional force required to disengage the latch assembly is in the same direction as the directional force required to move the screen door from the closed position.
It is an additional object of the present invention, at least in preferred embodiments, to provide a door assembly for a recreational vehicle having a screen door and a latch assembly wherein the latch assembly cooperates with a screen to close an opening in the screen door. It is yet another related object of the present invention to provide such a door assembly that is highly reliable in operation. Additional objects will be apparent to those skilled in the art given the benefit of this disclosure.